Pneumatic tube carrier with magnetic destination coding



Dec. 28, 1965 zlMMERMANN ETAL 3,226,054

PNEUMATIC TUBE CARRIER WITH MAGNETIC DESTINATION CODING Filed Aug. 20, 1963 INVENTORS HANS-JOAC/l/M PET'R 0/5 76/? Z/MMERMANN BY /x7 %TTORNEY United States Patent 3,226,054 PNEUMATIC TUBE CARRIER WITH MAGNETIC DESTINATION CODING Dieter Zimmermann, Berlin-Zehlendorf, and Hansdoachirn Peter, Beriin-Wilmersdorf, Germany, assignors to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 305,904 Claims priority, application Germany, Aug. 23, 1962, St 19,629 13 Claims. (Cl. 243-16) This invention relates to pneumatic tube carriers and more particularly to such carriers having permanent magnets for determining their destination.

For the purpose of automatically controlling the path of a pneumatic tube dispatch carrier, the latter is provided with magnetic station settings, which are scanned during the carriers movement and provide a criterion for steering it. In the system to which the invention refers, the space between two permanent magnets is the determinative control factor. In order to be able to set every carrier for every station, one of the magnets is arranged stationary on the carriers jacket, while the position of the other magnet can be chosen in an axial direction on the carriers jacket.

It is difficult to attach a movable magnet whose posi tion can be changed relative to the carrier jacket by sliding it in the carriers longitudinal direction in accordance with the station chosen, which once set, remains in position during the run and is trouble free. The measures and arrangements for solving this problem, as presently known to the art, are cumbersome and expensive. Furthermore, it is difficult to set the magnet on the carrier jacket and the personnel operating the system must give their fullest attention to prevent the magnet from moving out of position during the run.

According to the invention, this drawback of the known arrangements is removed by selecting a carrier that in known fashion is divided into two halves for opening in the axial direction and by so arranging the magnets between two or every two mating rims of the closed carrier that they can be lifted and shifted endwise. This is done by giving at least one of the halves of the carrier, pocket-type recesses at one or both of its rims for accommodating the magnets. The other half of the carrier is then provided with a groove-shaped recess on one or both rims, in which the magnets can be shifted in the carriers axial direction. When both carrier halves are brought together, the adjustable magnets are contained in the one carrier half by the groove-shaped recess and in the other carrier half by the pocket-shaped recess, one half of them in each case fitting into each of the recesses. The pocket-shaped recesses prevent the magnet from shifting when the carrier is closed, that is, when it is ready for dispatch and during the run. It is advisable so to arrange the magnets in the groove-shaped recesses that they can be slid along the groove but cannot be removed from it, so that when the carrier is opened they cannot fall out. The carrier housing, at least at the rims, consists of transparent or translucent material, so that the position of the magnets at any given time is visible from without when the carrier is closed. The destination to which the carrier is set can then be read from markings on the carriers jacket.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic tube carrier in accordance with our invention;

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FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross-sectional views of two different embodiments of our carriers; and

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a section of the carrier of FIG. 2 along line AA of FIG. 2.

The carrier halves of the split dispatch carrier are marked 1 and 2. On each side of the carrier, only one of which is visible in FIG. 1, there is a movable ring 3 of soft material, felt for example. It is advisable to insert stationary permanent magnet 4 in that ring. Separation of the carrier forms separating edges or rims 5 and 6 on one side and similar rims 7 and 8 on the other. Adjustable magnet 9 can be shifted in groove-shaped recess 10. Such magnets 9 can be arranged on each side. The lower half shown in the example has been given groove-shaped recess 10 and the upper half has been given pocket-shaped recesses 11. In order to prevent magnets 9 from dropping out of the groove-shaped recess, both recess 10 and magnets 9 in the example of FIG. 2 are given a cross-section tapering outward. In the example shown in FIG. 3 magnets 9 are provided with a stepped edge 12 which cooperates with groove 10 and a holding plate 13 attached from within to prevent magnets 9 from falling out.

A pneumatic tube carrier manufactured according to the invention and similar to the example described makes possible a simple and reliable setting of the destination control magnets, with no chance of losing any movable parts during handling. Furthermore, such a pneumatic tube carrier is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to handle.

While We have described above the principles of our invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of our invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. A pneumatic tube dispatch carrier comprising first and second halves, means for rigidly connecting said halves to form a closed carrier, 21 permanent magnet rigidly attached to one of said halves, a groove in each said half which cooperates with the other along mating portions of said halves when said closed carrier is formed to form a passageway, and a movable permanent magnet capable of being disposed in desired positions along said passageway.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 in which one of said grooves comprises means for retaining said movable magnet when said halves are disconnected.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 further comprising means separating said passageways into discrete compartments so that said magnet can be retained in a desired compartment during connection of said halves.

4. A carrier according to claim 3 wherein the groove in said first half has a rectangular cross-section and further comprises a plate disposed on the inside of the carrier adjacent said groove to form a wall of said groove, and said movable magnet has a rectangular portion receivable in said groove and slidable therealong.

5. A carrier according to claim 3 in which the groove in said first half has a truncated conelike cross-section and said movable magnet has a tapered portion which slidably retains said magnet in said groove.

6. A carrier according to claim 5 in which the groove in said second half has partitions which separate the grooves into discrete segments, said segments cooperating with said groove in said first half to form said compartments.

7. A carrier according to claim 6 in which said halves have semi-circular cross-sections perpendicular to the axis of the formed carriers and said grooves abut each other along one side of the formed carrier.

8. A pneumatic tube dispatch carrier comprising first and second halves, means for rigidly connecting said halves to form a closed carrier, a plurality of first grooves in said first half which cooperate with a plurality of second grooves in said second half to form passageways, and a plurality of permanent magnets capable of being disposed in desired positions along said passageways.

9. A carrier according to claim 8 wherein each said passageway is separated into discrete compartments and said magnets can be retained in a desired compartment during connection of said halves.

10. A carrier according to claim 8 further comprising a permanent magnet rigidly attached to one of said halves.

11. A carrier according to claim 8 in which each said first groove comprises means for retaining said movable magnet when said halves are disconnected.

12. A carrier according to claim 11 in which said second grooves have partitions which separate them into discrete segments, said segments cooperating with said first grooves to form compartments in said passageways.

13. A carrier according to claim 12 wherein said halves have semi-circular cross-sections perpendicular to the axis of the formed carrier, there are two first grooves in said first half each positioned on opposite mating sides of said first half, and there are two second grooves in said second half each positioned on opposite mating sides of said second half to cooperate with said first grooves to form two parallel longitudinal passageways in the closed carrier.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,983,342 12/1934 Chambers.

2,970,791 2/ 1961 Hafner.

3,069,111 12/1962 Cork 243l6 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,133,314 7/1962 Germany.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PNEUMATIC TUBE DISPATCH CARRIER COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND HALVES, MEANS FOR RIGIDLY CONNECTING SAID HALVES TO FORM A CLOSED CARRIER, A PERMANENT MAGNET RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO ONE OF SAID HALVES, A GROOVE IN EACH SAID HALF WHICH COOPERATES WITH THE OTHER ALONG MATING PORTIONS OF SAID HALVES WHEN SAID CLOSED CARRIER IS FORMED TO FORM A PASSAGEWAY, AND A MOVABLE PERMANENT MAGNET CAPABLE OF BEING DISPOSED IN DESIRED POSITIONS ALONG SAID PASSAGEWAY. 